Monday, December 31, 2007

Back to work

Luckily it's only a half day which means I have about 4 hours to get caught up on all my paperwork and then Wedensday (day off tomorrow, yes!) I can focus on purging all of our old files. I guess it's good to be back, though this morning I could have slept in a little bit more.

Katie has been in town for the past few days and it's been fun to have her here. Yesterday we went shopping for the after- christmas sales and had fun, though after about 3 hours we'd had enough. We watched Hairspray and ordered in Thai food from my favorite place, Pink Pepper. Today we'll have lunch when I get home and then she leaves tonight at 6 for a new year's party in Seattle. Such the jet-setter! Tonight Matt and I will head over to Don and Cindy's for an evening of food, fun, and games. I'm looking forward to it!

Have a happy and safe New Years celebration!

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Home again

Well I'm back in L.A. now and after cleaning up after the kitties (having been home alone for 4 days with no humans) - to which I will not describe in detail except to Matt - I have a sore back and the starts of another cold. Tonight I will dine on Thai food and catch up on movies. Tomorrow holds a trip to Rite Aid, Ralph's, and Cindy's Birthday Dinner! I hope to have our new digital camera charged and ready for tomorrow's celebration. If not, the old one will have to do until Matt gets back and can hook it up for me.

It's windy and blustery tonight. On the plane, the pilot announced that it was 62 in Burbank to which all the passengers sounded their joy. What he forgot to mention was that it would be terribly windy and cold upon landing at the Burbank airport! Oh well. After yesterday's 29 degree high, this feels like the Bahamas.

It's good to be home.

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Merry Christmas!

I can't believe it. It's SNOWING. What a special gift! Had we stayed in California we wouldn't get to experience this wonderful moment with Matt's family.

Happy Christmas to all and to all a Merry night!

Monday, December 24, 2007

Much Better

This year's holiday is much better. Less stress (aside from the flat tire on our rental car...sigh...) and more fun. The only thing I have noticed is that it has been raining ever since I arrived aside from some brief sunshine on Saturday in Tacoma. I don't miss the wind and the rain together...that damp cold that takes forever to warm up from. But I do miss the green, our friends and family. It's been a wonderful vacation. And an extra bonus is that I got all my Christmas shopping done earlier than expected so I don't have to go to the mall today. Phew!

Today we are at Matt's parents house and I will spend most of the afternoon with Nancy, making cookies and the breakfast brunch casserole for tomorrow morning. The kid in me always comes out on Christmas morning. I can't wait to see what "Santa" has left under the tree, though I already know what a few of the pretty packages hold.

I hope your holidays are as smooth as possible and you're having fun with your family and friends!

Friday, December 21, 2007

Tail of a kitty

Rudy.

Our big tabby. He lives with my dad and my sister now, and he's kind of a diva/bully. A diva because he knows what he wants and he'll wake you up in the middle of the night to get it, or stand on your chest just as you're waking up to get some food (when he already has some in is bowl). He also has this really funny meow that Matt and I call the "diva meow." Mind you, this is a 20 pound cat, and when he meows, it sounds a little pathetic. He almost squeaks, and his lower jaw wobbles. It's quite adorable and amusing, and the first time he did it as a kitten, Matt and I in unison went "AW!"

He is a big of a bully, however, and gave my sister's cat, Coconut, a bit of a serious injury where she had to have surgery a few weeks ago. He's a tomcat, always needing to be first in the pack and in charge. I know Matt really misses him, but Rudy really enjoys his life here and is able to be outside which is something we would never be able to give him. Plus, there is no way we could add another cat to our mix. No thank you! If we ever got a house, then maybe, just maybe, Rudy could come to California....maybe....

I write this because guess who woke me up at 7am and decided he needed some food when he already had some in his bowl?

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Northwest Bound and the big 18

Well I'm here and believe it or not, the rain decided to take a break. Not that it's sunny, mind you! It's completely overcast and chilly, but I love it. It feels completely normal. Now ask me tonight when we go out to dinner at Todai, ask me how I'm feeling when I go to bed in the basement, shivering under the covers and asking Dad if we can turn on the heat. I shiver just thinking about it!

The flight went really smoothly after we found out it was delayed for 50 minutes (apparently due to the Seattle weather, hah!) As most of you know, last year we did not have a Christmas tree at the house which I found rather upsetting. So this year, on the way home from the airport, we stopped by a place near Greelake and picked one out! It's outside now, drying off and we'll decorate it tomorrow with a friend of Katie's who's never decorated a tree before.

Today is Katie's 18th birthday, which is just amazing to me. I remember when she was just a baby, holding her for the first time at the hospital. I remember her having 2 boyfriends in pre-school, and her love for math at the very start. She is a great person and I love how spirited and independent she is. Happy Birthday, lil' sis! :)

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Sign of the times

From the Macy's website:

We'll be right with you.
It's a little crowded in here right now, and to make sure everyone enjoys shopping with us, we're asking new visitors to wait here a few moments while other shoppers finish up. We'll refresh your browser and welcome you in momentarily. Thanks for your patience!

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Ah, this is the life

When I think of Hollywood, I think of glamarous pah-ties, fast cars, lavish gifts, and cool clothes.

I do not live that lifestyle.

BUT

Now I can tell you that I have been drunk-dialed by my hairdresser at 12:30am.

Conversation (and her 3rd phone call):

Me: Nicole?

Nicole: Hey babe, where are you?

Me: Are you okay? It's 12:30.

Nicole: (woohoo's in the background) Yeah, I'm good. What are you doing?

Me: SLEEPING!

Nicole: Well go back to sleep then.

*click*

And now I can't stop laughing! I got drunk dialed. WOOOHOO!

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Wish List

Dear Santa,

Just a few little things this year....I don't need anything really, I have a roof over my head, a job, food in the fridge, and a wonderful hubby. These are just things that would make life a little more fun and a little easier...

A counter top spice rack. This one would be particulary helpful as we have little counter space and I'm having to store our spices in 2 different places.

Gift certificates at any of the following places: Togo's, Sephora, Ann Taylor, Macy's, , Bikram Yoga Silverlake, Bath and Bodyworks, The Arclight.

The following movies on DVD: Hairspray(2007), Anne of Green Gables, The Bourne movies (Identity, Supremacy, and Ultimatum).

Clothing: Dress socks, black and/or brown dress pants, a brown coat that can be worn out and about and at the office, fun but solid color work shirts, shoes (size 7.5).

Random stuff: Kitchen towels, a springfoam pan, christmas ornaments, herbal or black tea, a tea set (link is just an example).

And a digital camera. Please?

Thank you and happy holidays! :)

Monday, December 10, 2007

Weekend update

I had a great weekend except for the fact that I didn't make it to yoga. What is my problem? Oh right. I'm l-a-z-y. Big surprise.

Friday night I went to bed at a decent hour after catching up on America's Next Top Model and Project Runway via TiVO but as usual woke up in the middle of the night but wasn't up for long. I got up around 7am, got some things done around the apartment, and headed off to Christmas Tea with Kari and Amanda. Poor Amanda's car doesn't work so she bused it out to Studio City where I picked her up and after dropping off Katy's book in Burbank, we headed out to Montrose's T-Room.

This place was completely charming and their christmas tea blend was really delicious. We found out that the owner orders it from Germany and she had to double order for this year because it's so popular. There were lots of goodies on the tray including a delicious turkey sandwich and fresh scones with devonshire cream. Yum! We windowshopped for a bit until I had to leave for my haircut appointment and it was back to Burbank. My hairdresser, Nicole, is awesome. I adore her. She gets that I don't take much time to style my hair, and she's so much fun to talk to because she is so different from me. She and her boyfriend spent Thanksgiving in Paris (yes, as in the Paris) and now she wants to move there. We gossiped about the other hairdressers, the men in our lives, and made plans to get together after I return from Seattle.

Speaking of which, I take off next Wednesday, which is also Katie's 18th birthday. I can't believe I can leave for for 9 WHOLE DAYS!! I'm more excited about that, I think, that actually going up North, but I'm sure the excitement (along with a little trepidation) will kick in once I get on the plane next week. Matt will join me up there on the 22nd. Already family plans have tied up the last few days of our visit, but that's ok. It's why we're there in the first place. Again, I repeat our saving grace will be the rental car. Freedom = sanity. And I mean that in absolutely no offense to any family members who might be reading. Matt and I need our own time during these family visits, and often times the only way we're able to talk in private and have some quite time is when we're in the car driving to our next destination.

And on the note of my sister's birthday, any ideas on what to get an 18 year old? I'm old and totally out of the loop.

Wow, that was a bit of a tangent. Back to the weekend!

Let's see, after the haircut I dropped off the drycleaning and was home around 4. I had no desire to go to yoga after running around everywhere all dizzy darn day. So we tuned into a movie, played some games, and then...it hit...

...the worst case of indigestion. I don't know what it was, I don't care because it's gone now, but it took about 12 hours for it to disappear. I was distracted from it when we went to buy our fake tree though! Yes, we bought a tree and it looks so beautiful! I need to borrow someone's digital camera so I can take pictures. It's pre-lit with white lights. We bought some cheapie red and green ornaments, and then used our own to fill in the gaps. It reminds me of the trees Dad used to cut from our backyeard. You can see the "trunk" but it's utterly charming and we absolutely love it. So far, only 1 nice ornament and 2 cheapie ones have been attacked, but not destroyed.

Sunday, as predicted, I spent the whole day in my pajamas and did nothing. It was awesome!

And now, it's Monday. Sigh. Back to work. But only for a few more days!

Friday, December 07, 2007

It's FRIDAY!!!!

Thank goodness. Anyone in agreement with me?

Plans for the weekend include a Christmas Tea with Amanda and Kari, returning Katy's overdue library book (that I never even got to finish), shopping for christmas decorations, decorating the apartment, a much needed haircut at my favorite salon, and lots and lots and lots of sleep. Oh, and yoga. Can't forget that.

T-minus 12 days to trip to Seattle. Thinking of presents that I want to bring with me and which ones I'll shop for when I get up there.

My body and brain are completely exhausted, I can't wait for Sunday where we will be staying home. ALL DAY. I plan on spending it in my pajamas.

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

Not a good start to the day

  • Boss chewed me out when I thought was being helpful but actually made things worse;
  • Just found out that my friend's dad died suddenly;
  • I've had it with snippy/snotty co-worker, ready to bite back at her next time;
  • So frickin tired, have not been sleeping well again and will need a nap when I get to Cindy and Don's place tonight (will wake up when the session begins);
  • Frustrated and frazzled with holiday plans, trying to keep up with all the changes and requests, and at the same time figuring out what Matt and I need and want to do;

It's just a bad day. I can take it. I can. I will not break down, I'm stronger than this.

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

400+ posts...

..and still going...

In conjunction with Jenny, I prefer to not air drama out on the blogs as this blog is quite public. I don't mind airing my personal thoughts out to you folks, but it's safe to say that I'd rather not "air my dirty laundry in public". It's safe to say that most of you know what's stressing me out these last few weeks leading up to the holidays and all I can say is that I'm dealing the best way I can, which includes some over-eating, a great therapist, getting back into my yoga regimen, good friends who listen to me repeat this over and over, and most of all, a patient, loving husband who puts up with my mood swings.

I talked to my Dad this afternoon on my lunch break and suggested that the 3 of us go out to get a tree together when I arrive on the 19th. I'm so excited! Last year was so incredibly different from all other Christmas days and to top it off, I wasn't really in the best of moods. We all tried so hard, but the year of "Firsts" is always painful. The holidays are especially rough because she made them so very special. Matt and I are now in the midst of planning with both families, sorting out who we will see when.

Is there anything that can make this easier?

Yes.

A RENTAL CAR.

Driving all over Western Washington, putting miles on someone else's car is my idea of fabulous. And since we may have to get a second car next year, it's a great way to try out some possibilities.